Hello's or Goodbye's
by Nakumori
Summary: Yzak finds Nicol out in the rain, content and happy in a way. Yzak himself was okay with how he was but he finds Nicol has a skill he had never known Nicol to have. Very sensative and "fluffy" Yzak x Nicol. One Shot.


**Hello or Good-bye**

**Yzak x Nicol**

* * *

The rain poured down in the late afternoon, the thick clouds blocking the sun from view. Trainees went from hallways to dorms, in hopes they wouldn't be caught in the rain after all of their classes were done or by a teacher. Two coordinaters were also going to their dorms, in the northern part of the building from their tech class, which was in the west-southern part of the vicinity.

The taller of the two was laughing at something he said, which would have been amusing for anyone else but it wasn't, so his companion was only becoming more annoyed by the second. His mood only got worse when he saw the rain, darkening everything it fell on. He would have continued right on by had he not seen one of his team-mates, a boy younger then himself by two years.

His off moss green hair which was normally curly hung in darkened waves, clinging to his forehead, neck and cheeks. His brown eyes were cast upwards, as if seeing something none of the others around him could see. His pale skin became almost translucent from the cold and chill. Small for his age his T-shirt or black seemed to hang off him even more while his blue jeans were heavier, only being held up by his belt of brown leather.

He was calm in the rain, serene and mellow in his own rights. Of course, there had only been about four occurrences in the time Yzak, the shorter of the pair, to know Nicol Almafi to ever raise his voice in anger or otherwise.

Waving off his blonde friend, Dearka Elthmen, the silver-haired male threw a look of annoyance to the rain before saying "Hey, Almafi! You're getting soaked, come out of that rain!" Casting one more glance of irritation to the rain as the smaller male put a hand to his ear, indicating for him to yell a bit louder. "Get the hell out of that rain, Almafi!" he yelled again, this time cupping his hands around his mouth.

In answer the green-haired male leaned in more, once again putting his hand to his ear. Grumbling, the silver-haired male had nothing more to do then go out in the rain and yell right into his ear. Rubbing his hands on his arms he made long and deliberate steps to his comrade, ready to beat the living hell out of him.

"I said, Almafi, you should get out of this rain," Yzak growled as he stopped a few steps away from the other male. "Why the hell are you out here anyways? You'll catch a cold."

"Oh," he distractedly mumbled, "I had no idea. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Yzak looked down, a perfectly arched eyebrow rising as he saw the pale and shoeless feet, the small toes wriggling on the cement pathway. "I wasn't worried; I was just telling you that it would be easy for someone without shoes to get sick."

Nicol turned to him, smiling as he softly said "I always knew you cared for me in some way." The younger of the two sighed as he stalked silently past Yzak, hardly brushing his T-shirt's sleeve against the taller males white button-up. Yzak turned around quickly followed, running the last few feet as he saw Nicol waiting for him on the other side.

Yzak threw off his white tennis shoes, which were now soaked through, to the stair just below him. Violently pulling off the ankle-sock he shoved it into the sopping wet shoe. Leaving his other foot well enough alone he began to towel-dry his silver-white hair as Nicol watched him from behind, further up the shallow stairs of grey-white marble.

Leaving the white towel on his head Nicol steps down in front of Yzak, gently picking up his foot. Seeing the look of questioning and confusion in his friend's eyes he softly says "Here, I'll get that for you." Tugging at the laces on the shoe he easily slid it off as he bent on one knee. "Would you like a message while I'm at it, Yzak?"

Yzak looked away, moodily as he said "No, I'm fine. You don't have to d that just for me."

Nicol smiled as he pulled his towel from his head and started rubbing his foot. Yzak winced when the hand felt far too rough against his pale foot, rubbing small circles into the heel and the ball of his foot. Nicol looked up at him again as he grimaced, saying "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." A minute or two later Yzak did find himself getting used to it, almost to the point he was enjoying it.

But as most things go, Nicol's mobile phone rang, the ring tone playing a song he didn't recognize would soon be known as Pipo Papo Telepathy. Nicol turned away from him, leaving his back for Yzak to look at. Lean muscles showed through the black T-shirt.

"Sure, I'll see you there," Nicol muttered into the phone, distractedly as he looked back to Yzak. Flipping the phone closed he said, this time to his companion "I have to go and meet Athrun for lunch with Dearka, you want to come?"

Yzak heard Nicol's mouth say Athrun and it boiled in his chest, growling like a large leopard of now in the north. Quailing it he softly said "Yeah, sure. How about right after we change, though."

Nicol nodded and mumbled "Yeah. I'll meet you in the foyer, later." Nicol waved as he started walking away, trailing a puddle of water behind him. "Hey," Yzak said, shuffling closer with his towel in hand. "You're still soaking wet." He timidly began to wipe the strands of forest green with the white towel, nearly ready to see green dye seeping into the snow white cotton.

No green dye seeped into the cotton, no gel or any other hair substance seemed to come from the curly strands of Nicol's head. Instead it was the chilled water seeping into the towel, effectively drying the younger male's hair. Nicol smiled as he unconsciously leaned into the touch, his throat nearly humming with the innocent pleasure.

Just then Yzak's phone went off, singing Snow Scene. He smiled apologetically to Nicol, who shrugged as Yzak snapped the phone open with his right hand and lazily said "Joule here." Yzak's face seemed to drop after listening for a few minutes before he picked himself up and said "Oh." Sighing he dejectedly said "Of course, I'll be in the next ship. Good-bye mother."

Nicol cocked his head to the left as he said "I guess you can't come this time. Maybe the next time you're in Orb you can come and visit me, hm?"

Yzak grimaced, his heart throbbing more painfully then ever before, his breathing becoming thicker as his blood seemed to become more heated and pumping faster. He sighed before he said "I'm sorry, Nicol. But that was my mother. She needs me to go back to the PLANT's… and finally marry Shiho Hahnenfuss, my fiancé."

"Oh," Nicol whispered, as if he wasn't interested about the topic. "Well, I guess when you've settled down and everything I can come up and we'll talk then."

Yzak smiled weakly, hoping to comfort his friend. It only made it worse as Yzak said "I may be gone for nearly two years, Nicol. Could you please tell Dearka to meet me up later on, I know he has to also meet his girlfriend anyways. I have to go pack, so I guess this is good-bye."

Yzak held out his hand, feeling calmer then he ever had in the presence of Nicol, remembering the rage and anger he had felt when watching the taller bullies of the school pick on Nicol. None of them had ever known that all they would have had to do was talk to the green-haired male to get his attention. Yzak ran through his memories very similar to the bullies because he had also wanted his attention.

Nicol glanced to the pale and larger hand offered, smiling thoughtfully before he said "No, Yzak. This is only hello, for I have finally seen the true you. Passionate and burning with the desire of determination instead of the anger of neglect and I shall never take you for granted ever again."

Yzak was about to say something when Nicol turned away from him, waving like the child he was at heart. He didn't look depressed or sad, more content then he had ever before and that helped Yzak on his flight back home.

But as he sat in his large and lushly thick seat, he couldn't help but think to himself _you had always been there, Nicol. For Dearka when the natural had left him, when Athrun and I hadn't been there for him. You'd been there for Athrun when the Bloody Valentines happened. And now you've been there for me, giving me everything you had even when I had not wanted it. _

* * *

"I promise on my life, even if I have to move worlds to reach you, Nicol. I would," Yzak mumbled as he stared down on the earth, the ship taking him away from someone he had only started to understand.

But what Yzak had not known was that a year and a half later, Nicol would be aired on the news as a casualty. KIA during an undercover mission he had given his life to save Athrun, who had been trying to talk some sense into a child-hood friend from betrayal.

So Yzak would forever blame Athrun for the death of Nicol, someone who had been kind, considerate and satisfied with his life. A person who had wanted nothing more then to have peace between the Earth Forces and ZAFT. Someone who had the highest hopes for everyone, believing everyone deserved a second chance.

Yzak wasn't able to attend his friend's funeral, for his son was born the day his friend had died, which had so been on his own birth-day. So Yzak had so named his son _Nicol. _It really was more hellos then good-bye, a day-dream turned into a nightmare for a young man of faithful dreams.

Nearly ten years later Yzak committed suicide after Dearka was KIA and Athrun was found to be a traitor to his own genetic type, coordinaters.


End file.
